Arizona Game And Fish Wins Special Award

The States Organization for Boating Access (SOBA) has presented the Arizona Game And Fish Department with their annual Outstanding Project Award for the Pena Blanca Lake Boating Access Renovation project.

SOBA Outstanding Project awards were given to agencies or organizations involved in boating-access projects that are of high quality, innovative, unique and economical.

The Pena Blanca Lake project, completed entirely by Arizona Game And Fish Department in coordination with the Coronado National Forest, consists of a parking lot, restroom, solar lighting, boat launch ramp, fishing dock and boat dock.

The facilities are fully handicapped accessible with two ADA spaces for passenger vehicles and two ADA spaces for boat trailers at the shoreline. There are additional accommodations on the upper level.

"This is the first time the efforts of the Arizona Game And Fish Department have been recognized with such an award," said Department Director Larry Voyles. "It illustrates our commitment to improving public recreational boating access across our state."

Pena Blanca Lake is one of only four boat-able waters in southern Arizona, and provides a unique, slow-paced alternative to larger, busier lakes in central Arizona. With a 10-hp engine limit, the lake is very popular with both anglers and paddlers. The lake has a natural spring in its bottom, which helps explain why this lake has a far more stable water level than any other lake in the area.

The SOBA award was presented last month at the group's annual gala dinner in Portland. Game and Fish Department Boating Facilities Program Manager Ron Christofferson accepted the award on behalf of the Department.

Pena Blanca Lake is located about 65 miles south of Tucson. For more information on the lake, visit: http://www.azgfd.gov.